When Harry comes home later that night, he is surprised to find that Draco is asleep, practically in Remus' lap, an empty tub of ice cream in front of them, and a rom-com plays on the television. "How was it?" He presses a kiss in Draco's hair and sits beside the two omegas.
"Fine." Remus says, "The doctor was hired by your darling in-laws. He tried to get handsy with Draco."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Harry's eyes glitter with anger. "I will kill him." He knows Crouch went to a third-rate medical school, but he's turned out to be a third-tier person as well.
"I recorded his conversation and sent it to the college of physicians in this region already. He is going to face a hearing." Nothing will come of it because alphas never face consequences for this crap, but their lawyer said to make sure the inappropriate behaviour is on record so that the court can see first-hand what Draco goes through daily with his family. Remus sighs when his favourite part of the movie comes on, "That is so Sirius and me." He fans himself. "We are so romantic."
"Right." Harry spots the fruity-looking alpha in the movie, and the bland beta playing his love interest, far from Sirius' rugged, masculine looks and Remus' interesting personality. Omegas are not allowed to work, let alone act, so betas have to pretend to be them on screen. They never do a good job. No one can capture the effortless allure of an omega. It's just not possible to mimic the real thing, nor the attraction alphas feel toward omegas can be faked.
"Harry?" Draco opens his eyes, bleary with sleep. "You're home?"
"Sure am," Harry nuzzles soft platinum strands, appreciating the scent of the expensive shampoo they had to order for Draco, catering specifically to blond hair. He frowns when for a brief second, he can feel the hopelessness Draco feels, before it disappears, suppressed by the sleepy blond. "What are you doing?" He is confused, and a little hurt.
"Harry?" Sirius appears from upstairs, having built few pieces of furniture for his new room already, "A word?"
"What's he doing?" Harry runs a hand through his messy hair, making it worse as usual. "Is he mad at me? He is blocking me."
"Kid," Sirius says when they are in his and Harry's former room. "Words cannot express what he is going through." That doctor was clinically insane, and judging from how he was looking at Draco, he is going to come after the blond. There are many people just like him who prey on omegas every day. "He wants to protect you from it."
"Protect me?" Harry scoffs. He may be a humble, unassuming man, however, he knows exactly how intelligent and physically strong he is. "It is my job to protect him."
Sirius saw the fear Draco felt today, and he knows it is justified. If Harry finds out, he is going to go on a murder spree and end up in prison long-term leaving Draco even more broken and depressed. "Don't coerce him to open up, Harry, let it happen naturally. You don't want to force him into doing anything. He's got enough of that already."
"Alright." Harry rubs the back of his head and stares at all of Sirius' tools. "Do you need help?"
"Oh god, no." Sirius shudders at the thought of Harry making a mistake and doing any damage to those elegant hands of his. "Why don't you go downstairs and watch a movie?"
"I can be manly and make things with my hands," Harry resists the urge to pout. He wants Sirius to be proud of him. He wants to be a real manly alpha and fight bears and hunt or whatever. The very real part of him needs to go and eat cake, and have a good cry because Love Actually is just the most perfect story ever told.
"I know you can," Sirius says soothingly. "You are the man of this house and I love you." He pats Harry's insanely messy hair, reminded of James' crazy hair. "Now why don't you get out of here, before you get a splinter?"
Harry knows when he is patronized, but compared to Sirius, he is more of a city man, used to urban settings and the comforts of home which is possible only because of his rugged dad. "I will do that. I will go downstairs and protect our omegas."
"Of course you will," Sirius pinches Harry's cheek.
Before leaving, Harry turns and spots a piece of furniture in the corner. "What is that?"
"A crib." Sirius notices Harry's soft expression and rolls his eyes. "I was bored, okay, and you can't put it in this room. It has to be the guest room." The baby will be a guest. A very welcomed guest because Sirius can't wait for Harry to give him grandchildren.
"Why do we even have a guest room?" Harry wonders aloud. "We live in the middle of the woods where no one ever comes."
"I don't want my mother to visit." Sirius cannot believe he ended up with someone like Remus when his own mother was a deranged maniac. There is a pattern of abusive and narcissistic behaviour in the Black family. He has heard and seen some horror stories where alphas end up marrying their mothers. How did Sirius luck out and end up with a saintly angel? With his luck, he could have ended up with his mother, someone like Narcissa, or he shudders violently when he thinks of Bellatrix.
"Thank you," Harry doesn't notice his father's shiver, and says before he leaves, "We could use a crib when I…" He blushes.
"Impregnate the pancake?" Sirius helps Harry finish, making the younger alpha stammer and run away. "Child." He scoffs.
"How was your day?" Harry emerges from the bathroom and asks his mate, who has curled up in bed already. "Wanna tell me about it?"
Draco shakes his head. "Not really." He sighs when Harry gives him a wounded look. "The doctor assigned by the court turned out to be someone on my parents' payroll."
"Are you okay?" Harry sits beside Draco on the bed, smiling kindly as the omega rests his head on his thigh, "What happened?" He strokes pretty blond hair tenderly. "Sirius was with you, so I am not too worried."
"Remus kept me safe," Draco remembers feeling protected by the other omega. "He's nice." The omegas he knows would have not cared if he was raped. He is starting to realize that society as a whole is not composed entirely of bad people, he just had the hard luck of running into its most privileged psychopaths.
"Well of course he is." Harry continues to stroke his mate's head. "He likes you." Remus wants to be a parent still and hates how independent Harry is. With Draco, he gets to baby someone again. The blond is helpless and brings out everyone's protective side. "He thinks you are cute." In the case of malignant narcissists, Draco brings out his family's abusive side because he is so vulnerable to being victimized.
"Cute?" Draco lifts his head, "No one's ever thought of me as cute before." Before he presented, he was harsh, rude, cruel, and closed off. After he presented, he became alluring, desirable, and most importantly, fuckable. He doesn't really know who he is because he is an omega who presented later in life compared to people who present in their teens. He presented in his mid-twenties. By that point, he had an identity as a beta. He never had a chance to rebuild himself. He is just an empty shell, and judging by how people treat him, nothing but a beautiful shell. Now since being here with Harry, he feels like a person with some kind of personality. He is starting to feel more like himself and not a sex slave.
Not that he would mind being Harry's sex slave. The alpha makes him want to submit and obey. He is starting to realize that being an omega isn't bad at all, it's an enjoyable experience with Harry.
"His exact words were and I quote," Harry frowns when he notices Draco's sadness, the blond isn't blocking his emotions from his alpha anymore, either because he's too tired, or because he's forgotten. "I love him so much I want to squish him."
"Please don't tell me what squish means." Draco nuzzles Harry's stomach, marveling at the definition of his abs under his sleeping shirt. Harry does not work out, he doesn't have time for it. However, considering he is an alpha and fully grown, his body is sculpted and feels incredibly strong to Draco. He feels safe that his tough alpha can keep him safe from the psychotic pervert he met today, eager to rape and enslave Draco.
"It means he wants to cuddle you." Harry lets feelings of love and protectiveness fill the bond. "I get the feeling."
Draco finds the sudden onslaught of love painful to deal with, especially after the day he had. After days and weeks of feeling loved, he saw his true worth today. Another person who wanted to subjugate him and use him, literally take him away from a loving home and fuck him to death, keeping him in heat like an animal. Harry can treat him like a human being all he wants but at the end of the day, Draco is a creature meant to be controlled and used only for his body.
"Come here," Harry pulls Draco back into his arms, "What's wrong?" He knows that Draco has learned how to hide his feelings from his husband in their bond. He wants to ensure that their communication is great so that Draco never feels ignored or neglected. "Tell me what you are thinking, please." He makes sure he is not ordering his mate because Draco will feel compelled to answer. Harry has a lot of power over his omega and needs to ensure that he is a husband to Draco, and not a master.
"I…" Draco knows he can say no, but he doesn't want Harry to feel he is keeping stuff from him. "The doctor today was an alpha. He wants to fuck me. It scares me because I think he may succeed."
"Over my dead body," Harry cringes at the thought of someone hurting Draco. He would rather be killed and maimed than let that happen. "And judging from how Sirius and Remus reacted, over their dead bodies too."
"I feel that the judge is going to hand me over to them." Draco buries his face in Harry's neck, "I will be forced to go back there and I am going to get gang-raped."
"No one is ever going to rape you," Harry promises, letting Draco nuzzle his neck. "You will never have sex unless you want to." Harry would rather go the rest of his life without sex than force his mate to do anything. He would rather perform a vivisection on himself than let his mate be touched by anyone else.
"You mean it?" For the first time today, Draco feels like everything is going to be okay. He felt safe with Sirius and Remus because they treated him like a precious thing, but with Harry, he feels like a human being, something he hasn't felt in the better part of this decade. He doesn't feel like a person with anyone else, but Harry makes him feel like he has rights and worth.
"I bet my life on it." Harry keeps stroking Draco's hair. "I would die before letting anything bad happen to you."
"Can you not?" Draco's heart skips a beat, for all the wrong reasons. "Please?"
"Hey," Harry kisses away a tear, "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I would die defending you." He always thought that his omega would want to hear that, of his valiance in the face of hypothetical danger.
"And where does that leave me?" Draco has spent all day warding off panic, he just can't do it anymore. "Alone? What am I supposed to do without you?" He clutches his chest.
"Draco, if I died you would be dead," Harry says without thinking, placing a hand on top of Draco's. He knows he should be reassuring, but the dark reality is that once an alpha dies, their omega follows.
"Oh, thank god," Draco is reminded of his cursed biology. "Because I don't want to live without you." He isn't even saying this because he wants to be safe. He genuinely cannot imagine his life without his mate. Harry is the only reason he continues to live at this point.
Harry suddenly understands why omegas die without their alphas. It's a natural protective mechanism to keep them from being taken and violated by random predators. "Fuck that, I am not going anywhere." He thinks about how hard today was for his mate, despite being completely protected, he needed Harry by his side. "If being away from me was so hard, I don't mind quitting my job." He would give up being a surgeon for Draco just as easily as he would give up living for his omega.
"No," Draco immediately says. He was safe today, despite feeling like he wanted to die without Harry, he got through it. "Don't give up your vocation." The last thing he needs is for his alpha to resent him because Draco cost him his career. In a perfect world, Harry would spend twenty-four-seven with his mate, and Draco would be the sex slave he is always meant to be, to a person he feels safe and complete with. But this isn't a perfect world, far from it, and Draco doesn't think he can keep an alpha as bright and intelligent as Harry entertained. Boredom would set in. Draco would much rather be the reward at the end of a long day than the chain keeping Harry from his dream life.
"Draco," Harry looks troubled. "You were blocking your thoughts today." He knows Sirius told him not to talk about it, but he needs to know he is being a good husband.
"Do you really want me in your head when you are doing surgery?" Draco feels shame, hot and painful. His alpha is clearly displeased.
"If I need you out of my head, I will block you." Harry raises an eyebrow, placing a comforting hand on his mate's lower back, and strokes, hoping to convey that he isn't mad.
"I thought I was helping you." Draco trembles a little. He felt horrible today, completely violated by that other doctor's gaze. "I don't want you to feel what I was feeling." He felt like a disgusting whore, only good for rape and degradation. He doesn't want Harry to see him like that.
"I understand," Harry wants Draco to have complete autonomy in his mind. "But I need you to understand that the mind link is there to protect both of us. We are connected so intimately for a reason."
"I will keep that in mind," Draco keeps his gaze lowered, where his hands are clutching Harry's shirt tightly. "I am sorry."
"You don't have to apologize," Harry kisses Draco's forehead. "You can block me anytime you want. Just don't do me any favours." He wishes he could take all of his mate's pain and give him peace.
"I was doing myself a favour." Draco has lost all respect for himself, the last thing he needs is for Harry to do so. He doesn't know what he would do if Harry stopped being nice to him. He makes Draco feel good about himself.
"Then, by all means, continue," Harry smiles reassuringly, "Sirius is building us a crib."
"He is?" Draco looks at Harry, alarmed. "Why?"
"Because you said you were okay with starting a family, and he knows that." Harry frowns a little. "Did you change your mind?"
"No," Draco wants children. He also knows that getting pregnant is hard for male omegas if the medical stats he read are anything to go by. "What if I can't?"
"Then you can't." Harry senses that Draco feels pressured by the idea of getting pregnant. "So what?"
"So," Draco looks into Harry's lovely emerald eyes, "If they are expecting a baby, what if I can't deliver? Won't they hate me?" Harry's parents want to be grandparents, they want baby Harrys, crazy hair and green eyes and all. Hell, it's why Draco wants to be a parent. He wants to make more little people with Harry's looks and character.
"Didn't I just say this?" Harry kisses Draco's nose, making him all cross-eyed. "As far as Remus is concerned, you are the baby. Sirius just likes making things with his hands."
"Oh," Draco says as Harry turns the bedside lamp off, "You don't care if I can't get pregnant?"
"Of course not," Harry spoons Draco, wrapping a protective arm around his waist. He wants to be cheeky and say that he wants to practice making babies, but he knows Draco will feel pressured to put out so it's better to remain quiet.
Draco is glad it's dark, and Harry can't see him blush. "I need you closer."
"Sure," Harry presses a kiss in Draco's hair, nuzzling the soft, flowery scent of his shampoo, "Is this better?" He hugs Draco tighter.
"No," Draco pouts, "I want you closer."
Harry is very strong and does not want to hurt Draco by putting more pressure around his waist, especially since as a sexually active omega, he could be pregnant. Harry doesn't care to hurt his mate or his possible unborn child. "I am not hugging you any harder, Draco, and remind me to administer another pregnancy test."
"How am I supposed to get pregnant if you won't have sex with me?" Draco says, frustrated. "I need you inside me, Harry." He notices that unless he comes right out and says it, Harry simply won't initiate sex. Draco doesn't know how to feel about it. He knows Harry is attracted to him but hesitates to fuck him. If all alphas on this planet had the kind of self-control and moral character Harry does, then there would be no need for omega rights. Unfortunately, most alphas are like the bastard Draco crossed paths with today, emotionally bankrupt and ethically corrupt, only wanting complete power over the weaker sex.
"Oh," Harry blushes as well, kisses Draco's neck where the mark is, his brand of possession on his omega, "Sorry." He should know when his mate is horny, but he is trying to give Draco some mental space, so it's understandable why he missed his desire.
"I want sex." Draco's biology tells him to not sound assertive and domineering, but if he doesn't have Harry inside of him tonight, he is going to have nightmares, and considering this entire day was a bad dream, he doesn't care to have another one.
"As you wish," Harry immediately complies, vowing to do whatever his mate wants in bed. If Draco should have to deal with being without his husband all day, Harry should obey all of his sexual demands. "I will make you feel real good." He whispers in his mate's ear, easily slipping inside the blonde's tight, wet, channel. "How's this?" He moves leisurely, ensuring that his thrusts are gentle.
"Good," Draco gasps as he's filled, his aching hole pounded into again and gain. "I missed you," He can't help but say, as he quickly orgasms, his fear and anxiety from today having disappeared.
"Missed you more," Harry bites the mark, irrationally fearing that it will disappear, despite it being a permanent brand on Draco's body. "I love you."
"You do?" Draco has heard it so many times from Harry, it's still hard to believe that someone like Harry, a good person with a virtuous heart would love Draco, a broken person with no soul.
"Of course," Harry thrusts inside the willing blond, holding back as usual, enough to give his mate the feeling of fullness, but not overwhelming him. He knows that when outside of heat, omegas are very fragile and should be taken gently. Manhandling is often a bad idea because overpowering an omega when vulnerable is generally not recommended. They are already weak physically and suffer a lot emotionally. It's not good to add to that.
"Harry," Draco feels sensitive now that he has climaxed, but his body is willing still as he thrusts back, clenching around the stiff cock inside him. "Don't leave me."
"Never," Harry comes fast, unable to control himself when inside such perfect, delicious wet heat. He starts to pull out, but Draco's whining stops him. "I am not going anywhere," He stops himself before pulling out, "I am right here."
"Missed you," Draco doesn't want to sound needy because he doesn't want Harry to feel that he can't come and go from his home as needed. He is an adult male and doesn't want to be babysat but he just bonded with his mate, and can't help but want Harry by his side permanently.
"I missed you too." Harry was certain that Draco would be safe today, which doesn't make it easier. He suspects that he will get used to being away from his mate for hours at a time. He has to bear the burden, it is the sacrifice he made to be a doctor. "I love you." He says again, his declaration falling on deaf ears because Draco has already dozed off.